Intuition is a very important skill to develop if you want to enhance your ability to manifest moment to moment. Manifestation is a process that requires us to be aware and sensitive to the many sources of information and realities available to us, some on the physical level and others on the spiritual plane. No university teaches a curriculum of “Intuition 101.” Yet, it is like any skill. While we all have intuition, we can develop it to be stronger and more present in our lives. Exploring and practicing these 7 elements of intuition will support you in developing your intuitive skills.1. Be Clueless!
When you have a problem in your life, there is a tendency to call on an expert to fix the situation. Whether this is health related, financial, or a problem in relationships, the urge to rely on outside solutions is pervasive. Experts are helpful but cannot be your only resource to overcome the challenges you’ve been presented.
In most cases when you are faced with a problem, you experience tension and anxiety, and your mind jumps ahead into the future. Your thoughts start racing, selecting information to make a decision or to feel reassured. There is a tendency to latch onto one train of thought, and you lose your universal view. Instead of reaching out for more knowledge, accept knowing nothing—just for the moment. Allow yourself to be clueless! When you choose to be clueless, you choose to put your logical mind on the back burner and bring forward every other aspect of your experience including the physical, emotional, heart, and spiritual. Drop any preconceived ideas, and listen to the intelligence coming from inside you.2. Be Detached
Detachment means accepting exactly what exists at any given moment. We’ve all heard of the advantages of letting go, not holding on to the past, and detaching, but it is difficult to do. There is a general perception that being detached means not having emotions, not having feelings about events or people who come and go in your life. If that’s what it meant—a life without joy, sadness, or enthusiasm—it’s no wonder people don’t want to detach!
That’s not it, though. Being detached doesn’t exclude having a wide range of emotions and perhaps even judgments. Rather, we need to recognize and acknowledge our emotional reactions and feelings but keep them from becoming the guiding force behind our actions and houghts. People think that if they deny or stuff their emotions, it will diminish the emotions’ power. In fact, trying to suppress emotions simply gives them the fuel to take over your life and drive your behavior. Only by acknowledging your emotional truth and giving it a voice can you “take the wind out of the sail” and become able to consciously choose what to do.
Detachment allows you to be in the moment, which is an important component of developing your intuition to its full potential. When it comes to intuition, you must detach from expectations not only about outcome, but also about how you will receive information when accessing your intuition. Realize that you may experience your intuition in any number of forms, such as seeing, hearing, and feeling. You never know how the information you want might present itself.3. Be Grounded
Being grounded is being connected to the earth, feeling balanced, focused, and at one with nature and the Universe. The more grounded you are, the easier it is to access your intuition and receive relevant information. If you’re tired, worried about something, or in pain, it will be extremely difficult to ground and access your intuition. You will most likely go into fear or negativity and shut down any possibility to receive intuitively. When the physical body is fully alive and full of energy at the cellular level, then it becomes much easier to call on your spiritual body and access your intuition.
Each of us has a unique way of being grounded, and we encourage you to experiment and find what serves you best. Breathing exercises, physical exercise such as walking barefoot on the earth, practicing yoga, performing a walking meditation are all excellent grounding tools. When you move your body with presence and intention, you are less subject to your negative thought patterns, and it’s easier to connect, not only with the physical but also with emotional, heart, and spiritual dimensions.4. Trust Yourself
To access your intuition, you simply need to trust yourself and listen to the insights that come to you. You don’t need to have any special knowledge. If you haven’t been accessing your
intuition, you may find it difficult at first to believe the messages it is sending you. It may take some time to develop this trust, but the outcome is worth the effort. As you explore and learn to trust the messages you receive from your intuition, you may want to start with less important issues to build your confidence.5. Be a Sponge
Receiving is an important element of intuition. Try considering yourself as a sponge. A sponge absorbs everything. It simply receives without organizing or processing in any way. In contrast, our minds love to label, classify, and organize. Without conscious awareness, our minds constantly filter all of the information that we receive. As a result of this we judge, distrust, and create walls. For example, when we receive something good, we might question what we’ll have to give back in the future and whether or not we are worthy.
To get the most from our intuition, it is helpful to understand that there is no such thing as important or unimportant information. Everything has value. For intuition to come to us, we must be ready to receive everything, to act like a sponge. Allow yourself to gratefully accept even more than you can imagine.6. Be Playful
How often do you let yourself play? Do you even remember how? Do you value pleasure? Do you know how to relax and express your joyfulness? In our serious, achievement-oriented culture, too many people leave play behind with childhood. The more playful and alive you are, the more open you are to new possibilities. Playfulness engages your physical body as well as your mind and your spirit, and you are open to receive and accept any intuitive information that comes to you. A playful spirit and attitude helps you accept what is happening in your life and be flexible when necessary. Playfulness helps you make decisions from your intuitive self and thus facilitates manifestation of what is truly aligned with your soul mission.7. Be Nurturing
To develop your intuition, you need to be rested and balanced. If you’re physically exhausted or experiencing a difficult time in your life, it can be much more challenging to open yourself up to your intuition. These are the times that it becomes key to nurture yourself, rest, and heal. Self-care exists on several levels. First there is traditional self-care on the physical level with rest, nutrition, and fitness. Equally as important is your spiritual and emotional self-care.
Like an athlete who must create a lifestyle to support his or her passion, create a lifestyle that empowers you to be at your best—open, aware, and relaxed. As you learn to rely more and more on your intuition, you will know when to speed up, slow down, or put things aside for the moment. You will become part of the natural flow of moment-to-moment manifestation where great things are accomplished with little effort. To learn more about building your intuitive power, see my book I wrote with Dr. Carrol McLaughlin, titledManifest Moment to Moment.